Roasted Cauliflower and broccoli salad
It is still season of cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli (here in the UK)! I’ll be honest - I don’t see purple sprouting broccoli that often, which is a shame (although, it might be because I haven’t been properly food shopping for over a year - by properly I mean not run through a shop to get only what I really need). This broccoli has long stalks and purple heads, it is so cute. But it also makes the water you cooked it in blue - like a Smurfs soup.. or the soup that Bridget Jones cooked for her friends!
I make salads like these so often - it is such an easy way how to eat lots of vegetables. It is also great if you want to make a batch of it and eat it for few days. And you can swap any vegetables for a different vegetables. I even wrote some swaps in the ingredients list - it is in case you want to save time or you don’t want to buy imported vegetables. Instead of winter tomatoes (which are very nice but probably not that available) just use sun dried tomatoes - it is equally delicious! And instead of kale, just use fresh spinach or any other greens that you like. Of course you can swap quinoa for another grain but I picked quinoa because well, it goes great with salads but also because it is a complete source of protein. So if I decided to use another grain, I’d probably go for bulgur together with some beans (probably chickpeas or butter beans). But please know that I am not a nutritionist and I am definitely not telling you how to eat - it all depends on you and what you ate that day already.
Makes 2 portions
Ingredients
Salad
1 head cauliflower (cut into similar size florets)
2 cups kale (tough stems removed) or spinach
2 winter tomatoes (sliced) or sun dried tomatoes
100g purple sprouting broccoli
1/2 uncooked cup quinoa
1tsp lemon juice
olive oil
salt
Vinaigrette
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2-1 tsp dijon mustard
2 small shallots - or 1 medium one (finely chopped)
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whisk all ingredients for vinaigrette in a small bowl (or shake it all in a jar with lid - the easiest way how to mix vinaigrette)
Preheat oven to 200C/180C (fan). Place cauliflower florets into a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp oil. Spread evenly on a baking sheet - give it a bit of space so it is not crowded. Roast for 25-30 mins, ideally turn halfway through.
Spread tomatoes on another baking sheet, drizzle with oil (around 2tsp) and roast for 25-30 mins. (If you choose to use sun dried tomatoes just cut them into smaller pieces).
In a small saucepan bring 1 and 1/2 cups of water to boil, rinse quinoa in a sieve and then add to the boiling water. Cook for about 15 mins, until tender.
In a medium saucepan bring about 1,5l water to boil. Season with 1tsp salt and then add purple sprouting broccoli and cook for 2 mins. Remove broccoli and cool it down so it stops from cooking further (either leave it for a minute under running water or prepare ice bath and leave broccoli in that).
In a bigger bowl massage kale with lemon juice for about 2 mins - until it is not tough (you’ll feel how it changed). If you want to use fresh spinach, just cut it so it’s easier to eat.
Serve with vinaigrette over it.